Cup Characteristics: Pulcal is sweet and complex with notes of wild berries, lady fingers and just-picked cherries. The body is round and enveloping with a heightened sweetness leading to a finish of incredible lengths.

Sourcing information: Hacienda Carmona feels warm as you cross into its gates. The canopy of tall trees forms perfectly above the gravel road, leading well into the grounds. The first building you pass is one of immaculate stature, the Hacienda. Built in the early-1900s the rooms are filled with historic and beautiful décor. An extremely well manicured garden is kept within the courtyard where the owner of the farm, Maria Zelaya Aguirre loves to spend her time.

The next building down is actually a series of small structures. What looks humble from the outside quickly becomes very impressive. This is the mill for Hacienda Carmona, Pulcal. The equipment is immaculate and the patio runs the length of a common football field. Just inside the gated entrance are 20 beautifully kept bovines. The cows are kept for their milk as well as to produce manure to keep the soil in the farm healthy and robust. The cows’ names range from Lecia and Patti to Obama.

The farm itself is managed about as well as one could hope for. Most of the land falls at the foot of a steep slope just off of the main road out of Antigua. Huge rows of Gravilea trees are used for shade with even larger avocado trees above that. They plant mostly Bourbon with some areas of Typica too. Some of the Typica trees in the property are nearly 100 years old. The health and vigor of the new growth on the trees shows just how much emphasis is being put on keeping the trees pruned and growing.

The coffees of Pulcal aren’t merely special because of the rich history of the farm and mill, but there is certainly something special growing on these 100 year old trees.